Government Announce 2 Million Extra NHS Appointments Delivered 7 Months Ahead Of Schedule

Last year, the Governments pledged over two million extra NHS elective care appointments, with over 100,000 more treatments, tests and scans per week for patients whilst also pledging to reduce waiting lists.

They’ve just announced they’ve hit those goals seven months early, with new appointments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and endoscopy departments.

The figures were released by NHS England, revealing that between Jul and Nov of 2024, the NHS delivered 2.2 million more elective care appointments compared to the same period the previous year, delivering on the government’s mission to fix the NHS as part of their Plan for Change. 

The news follows the figures published last week showing NHS waiting lists had been slashed by 160,000 since Labour came to power, compared to a rise of 33,000 over the same period in 2023.

Those extra 2 million appointments, delivered in part by additional evening and weekend coverage, form part of the Governments wider plans to reform the NHS , which also include plans to expand opening hours at Community Diagnostic Centres across the country, 12 hours a day, seven days

Two million extra NHS appointments and a waiting list on its way down – we’re delivering on our promise to fix the NHS and make sure people get the care they need, when they need it. This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about the cancer patients who for too long were left wondering when they’ll finally start getting their life-saving treatment. It’s about the millions of people who’ve put their lives and livelihoods on hold – waiting in pain and uncertainty as they wait for a diagnosis. We said we’d turn this around and that’s exactly what we’re doing – this milestone is a shot in the arm for our plan to get the NHS back on its feet and cut waiting times. But we’re not complacent and we know the job isn’t done. We’re determined to go further and faster to deliver more appointments, faster treatment, and a National Health Service that the British public deserve as part of our Plan for Change.

Keir Starmer – Prime Minister

We have wasted no time in getting to work to cut NHS waiting times and end the agony of millions of patients suffering uncertainty and pain. Because we ended the strikes, invested in the NHS, and rolled out reformed ways of working, we are finally putting the NHS on the road to recovery. We promised change, and we’ve delivered, providing the two million extra appointments we pledged in just our first five months – a promise made, and a promise kept. The result is around 160,000 fewer patients on waiting lists today than in July. That was just the first step. Through our Plan for Change, we are opening new surgical hubs, Community Diagnostics Centres at evenings and weekends, and using private sector capacity to cut waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks.

Wes Streeting – Health And Social Care Secretary

Thanks to the hard work of staff and embracing the latest innovations in care, we treated hundreds of thousands more patients last year and delivered a record number of tests and checks, with the waiting list falling for the fourth month in a row. There is much more to do to slash waiting times for patients, but the Elective Care Reform Plan will allow us to build on this incredible progress as we boost capacity and drive efficiency while also improving the experience of patients.

Amanda Pritchard – Chief Executive, NHS